Covid by the Numbers Report

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Glossary | Rārangi kupu

Term	Definition
administration	In New Zealand company law, administration is a temporary process used when a company is insolvent or likely to become insolvent. An administrator is appointed to take control of the company and attempt to maximise its chances of continuing in business or, if that is not possible, to achieve a better outcome for creditors than immediate liquidation.
Alert level system	The sliding scale of public health and social measures used in Aotearoa New Zealand's COVID-19 response from March 2020 to November 2021. The sliding scale used 4 levels, called alert levels.
business operations survey	A nationally representative survey of New Zealand businesses with six or more employees, conducted by Stats NZ.
case rate	The number of known or reported disease cases divided by the relevant population.
co-morbidity	When a person has two or more illnesses or health conditions at the same time.
comparator countries	Seven countries chosen to compare New Zealand with throughout COVID-19 by the Numbers: Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Italy, Japan and Sweden (see section 3.3).
Consumers Price Index (CPI)	The Consumers price index measures the average change over time in the prices households pay for a basket of goods and services. Changes in the CPI are a key indicator of inflation.
coronavirus	A group of viruses that cause respiratory infections in humans, other mammals and birds. Coronaviruses can cause mild disease, such as a cold, or more serious disease such as SARS, MERS and COVID-19.
COVID-19	The disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19 is also widely used to refer to the virus (such as 'COVID-19 transmission') and to the pandemic caused by the virus (for example, 'New Zealand's COVID-19 experience').
COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund	A funding envelope established in Budget 2020 as a temporary fiscal management tool to support Aotearoa New Zealand's response to and recovery from COVID-19.
CPI	See 'Consumers Price Index'.
Delta	A variant of the COVID-19 virus that became the dominant form globally in the second half of 2021. Delta was more transmissible (easier to catch) and more virulent (causing more severe disease) than earlier variants.
District Health Boards (DHBs)	The 20 regional bodies that were responsible for provision of publicly funded health and disability services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, including funding and provision of hospital-based services and funding and coordination of primary and community based healthcare. On 1 July 2022, the district health board system was replaced by a single national agency responsible for funding and coordinating publicly funded healthcare – Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora.
e-asTTle	An online assessment tool developed by New Zealand teachers to assess students' achievement and progress in reading, mathematics and writing (see section 8.4.2).
economic shock	An economic shock is a sudden, unexpected event that significantly disrupts economic activity, such as spending, production, employment or prices.
ethnicity	In New Zealand official statistics, ethnicity is defined and used by Stats NZ as a measure of cultural affiliation, not biology, nationality or legal status. Ethnicity describes the ethnic group or groups that people identify with or feel they belong to. It reflects shared culture, ancestry, language, history, or traditions, as self-identified by the person.
e-asTTle	An online assessment tool developed by New Zealand teachers to assess students' achievement and progress in reading, mathematics, and writing (see section 8.4.2).
economic shock	An economic shock is a sudden, unexpected event that significantly disrupts economic activity, such as spending, production, employment, or prices.
ethnicity	In New Zealand official statistics, ethnicity is defined and used by Stats NZ as a measure of cultural affiliation, not biology, nationality, or legal status. Ethnicity describes the ethnic group or groups that people identify with or feel they belong to. It reflects shared culture, ancestry, language, history, or traditions, as self-identified by the person.
epidemic	An increase in the incidence of a disease that is higher than expected in the population in question.
excess mortality	Excess mortality is the number of deaths above what would normally be expected over a given period, based on historical patterns.
fiscal	Fiscal refers to government finances, especially public spending, taxation and borrowing, and the policies that determine how governments raise revenue and allocate resource.
GDP	See 'gross domestic product'.
General Social Survey (GSS)	The GSS is New Zealand's main survey of social wellbeing and living conditions, collecting information on how people are doing across health, housing, income, education, safety, social connections and life satisfaction. It is conducted by Stats NZ, usually every two years, and is a key source for understanding social outcomes and inequalities.
genomic sequence	The genome, or genetic material, of an organism is made up of a unique DNA or RNA sequence. Each sequence is composed of chemical building blocks known as nucleotide bases.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)	The total monetary value of all the goods and services produced in a country in a specific time period (often a year), regardless of who made them. A broad measure of the size of a country's economy.
gross fixed capital formation(GFCF)	Gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) is a measure of investment in long-lasting physical assets that are used in production for more than one year, such as buildings, infrastructure, machinery, equipment and intellectual property. GFCF captures how much an economy is adding to or replacing its productive capacity over a period. It is a core component of GDP.
Global Financial Crisis (GFC)	The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) was a severe worldwide financial and economic downturn that began in 2007–2008, triggered by the collapse of the United States housing market and failures in the global banking system. It led to sharp falls in output and employment, major bank rescues, and lasting changes to financial regulation and macroeconomic policy in many countries.
Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS)	The HLFS is New Zealand's official quarterly survey of households that measures labour-market conditions, including employment, unemployment, labour force participation and hours worked. It is conducted by Stats NZ and is the primary source for headline indicators such as the unemployment rate and employment rate.
host	In the context of an infectious disease, a host is a living organism that a pathogen infects and uses to survive, reproduce or spread.
IDI	See 'Integrated Data Infrastructure'.
IMF	See 'International Monetary Fund'.
incidence	In the context of epidemiology, incidence refers to the number of new cases of a disease.
incubation period	Refers to the time between exposure to an infectious disease and the start of symptoms.
inflation	When the prices of a range of goods and services rise on average, reducing the buying power of money.
Inland Revenue (IRD) \|Te Tari Taake	The New Zealand public service agency responsible for collecting government revenue (most of which comes from tax).
Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI)	A large research database managed by Stats NZ, which holds anonymised data about people and households. Data in the IDI comes from government agencies and covers life events such as education, income, migration and health.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)	The United Nations agency that furthers international monetary cooperation, encourages the expansion of trade and economic growth and discourages policies that would harm prosperity.
IRD	See 'Inland Revenue'.
liquidation	In New Zealand company law, liquidation is the process of winding up a company that can no longer pay its debts or has chosen to cease operating. A liquidator is appointed to sell the company's assets, distribute the proceeds to creditors in order of priority, and then dissolve the company.
lockdown	A mandatory stay-at-home order, a legal prohibition placing blanket restrictions on the population (apart from specified activities) for the purpose of limiting the spread of a disease. In New Zealand's COVID-19 response, the term 'lockdown' was used for situations where the population was under Alert Level 3 or 4 restrictions (see 'Alert Level System'). Some lockdowns applied nationally and others to specific regions.
longitudinal	In social science and economics research, longitudinal describes a study or dataset that follows the same individuals, households, firms, or other units over time, collecting repeated observations to analyse changes, dynamics, and causal relationships.
Longitudinal Business Database	A large database managed by Stats NZ which holds anonymised administrative and tax data about businesses. A component of the IDI.
macroeconomic	Relating to the field of study that examines economy-wide phenomena such as inflation, price levels, the rate of economic growth, national income, Gross Domestic Product, and changes in unemployment. Macroeconomics differs from microeconomics, which is more focused on the influences on, and choices made by, individual and firms.
managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ)	The government-run system of quarantine and isolation facilities used to accommodate incoming travellers undergoing a period of mandatory isolation or quarantine before being able to enter Aotearoa New Zealand, and community cases who could not safely isolate at home.
mandates	See 'vaccine mandates'.
Ministry of Education	Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga \| The New Zealand public service agency responsible for education policy. It supports, funds, licenses and regulates schools, kura and early childhood education.
Ministry of Health \| Manatū Hauora	The New Zealand public service agency responsible for the health and disability system. Its functions include health policy, legislation, regulation and monitoring. Prior to July 2022 the Ministry of Health was also responsible for planning and allocating funding for national healthcare services through the 20 District Health Boards and public health services through the 12 regional public health units.
mortality	Mortality refers to deaths within a population and is commonly used to describe the frequency or rate of deaths over a specified period of time.
non-tradables	Non-tradable goods and services are those that do not face foreign competition, such as local services (for example, cafes and hairdressers) and goods with high transportation costs (for example, gravel). Prices for these goods and services are primarily determined by domestic supply and demand.
OECD	See 'Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development'.
Omicron	A variant of the COVID-19 virus that was first detected in November 2021 and rapidly became the dominant form globally, including in Aotearoa New Zealand in early 2022. Omicron was highly transmissible (very easy to catch) compared with previous variants but was also less virulent (causing milder infection) than Delta.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)	An intergovernmental organisation founded in 1961 to advise governments on policies to promote better lives. New Zealand has been a member since 1973.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)	An intergovernmental organisation founded in 1961 to advise governments on policies to promote better lives. New Zealand has been a member since 1973.
Pākehā	A New Zealander of European descent.
pandemic	An infectious disease epidemic (see above) occurring across multiple geographical regions and affecting a large number of people. A pandemic is usually caused by a new infectious agent (for example, a new form of a virus for which people do not have immunity) that transmits readily between people.
pathogen	An infectious organism, such as a virus, bacteria or parasite, that can produce a disease.
personal protective equipment	Equipment worn by a person to minimise risks to their health and safety. In the context of an infectious disease, it may refer to face masks or visors, protective clothing (such as plastic aprons or suits) and/or medical gloves.
PISA	See 'Programme for International Student Assessment'.
PPP	See 'purchasing power parity'.
prevalence	In the context of epidemiology, prevalence refers to the number of existing cases of a disease.
prioritised ethnicity	In New Zealand official statistics, prioritised ethnicity is a method used by Stats NZ to assign each person to a single ethnic group when analysis or reporting requires mutually exclusive categories. When a person identifies with more than one ethnicity, Stats NZ applies a fixed priority order – Māori first, then Pacific peoples, then Asian, then Middle Eastern/Latin American/African (MELAA), then European/Other – and assigns the person to the highest-priority group they reported.
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)	An OECD-led programme, which tests the competency of 15-year-olds' application of reading, mathematics and science to real-life problems. See section 8.4.1.
Progressive Achievement Test (PAT)	PATs are standardised, multiple-choice assessments developed by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER). PATs can be administered to students in Year 4 through Year 10. See section 8.4.3.
public health	The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organised efforts of society.
purchasing power parity (PPP)	PPP is a way of comparing data across countries by adjusting for differences in price levels. In practice, PPP converts currencies using the cost of a common basket of goods and services, rather than market exchange rates, to allow like-for-like comparisons of income, output or living standards across countries.
quantitative easing	Quantitative easing is when a central bank creates reserves to buy financial assets (usually government bonds) to push down longer-term interest rates. It is typically used when interest rates are near their lower limits.
Rapid Antigen Testing (RATs)	A technique used to detect COVID-19 infections by analysis of a nasal swab or saliva sample in a chemical solution. Tests could be self-administered and results available in 10–20 minutes.
receivership	In New Zealand company law, receivership is a process in which a receiver is appointed (typically by a secured creditor) because a company can no longer meet its financial obligations. The receiver takes control of some or all of the company's assets to recover the debt owed, rather than manage the company for the benefit of all creditors.
recession	A recession is an extended downturn in economic growth. The normal criterion used in New Zealand is two consecutive quarters of decline in real (inflation adjusted) GDP.
real	Adjusted for inflation over time, for example real GDP.
rolling average	A rolling average is a calculation to analyse data points by creating a series of averages of different selections of a full data set. It is a technique that smooths out short-term fluctuations in data and highlights longer-term trends by reducing noise from day-to-day variation.
SARS-CoV-2	The strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI)	Respiratory infections of recent onset (within seven days) that include fever, cough or shortness of breath and require overnight hospitalisation.
shock	See 'economic shock'.
statistical significance	Statistical significance describes whether an observed result is unlikely to have occurred by chance alone, based on a predefined probability threshold (commonly 5%). If a result is statistically significant, it means the data provide evidence of a real association or effect, though it does not indicate how large or important that effect is.
Stats NZ	Tatauranga Aotearoa \| The New Zealand public service agency responsible for the collection of statistics related to the economy, population and society of Aotearoa New Zealand.
testing technologies	Processes and equipment for confirming whether an individual has been infected with a disease.
The Treasury \| Te Tai Ōhanga	The New Zealand public service agency responsible for providing economic and fiscal advice to the Government.
tradables	Tradable goods and services are those that can be imported (for example, petrol), exported (for example, butter), or are in direct competition with foreign goods in domestic or foreign markets (for example, wine). Prices of tradable goods and services are influenced by international markets, exchange rates, and global supply and demand.
vaccination	The administration of a vaccine as a means of protection against a disease.
vaccine	Medicines used to protect the body against viruses and other infectious agents through immunisation. A vaccine trains the human immune system to respond as it would if it had been exposed to the virus or disease.
vaccine mandate	A laws or policy that require people to receive certain vaccines. In the COVID-19 pandemic, they encompassed: occupational mandates (a requirement that an individual receive a COVID-19 vaccine to continue employment in a specified occupation) the mandates imposed by vaccine passes (a requirement that an individual receive a COVID-19 vaccine in order to enter or continue employment in specified locations or to attend specified gatherings) the Vaccination Assessment Tool (developed so employers could introduce their own workplace vaccination policies through health and safety assessments).
vector	In the context of an infectious disease, a vector is a living organism that transmits a pathogen from one host to another, usually without becoming ill itself.
virus	A tiny infectious agent that reproduces itself within the cells of the infected person, animal or 'host'.
Wage Subsidy Scheme	Financial assistance provided during the COVID-19 pandemic by the New Zealand Government to employers to enable them to continue to pay their staff when they were unable to perform their normal duties due to public health measures, such as lockdowns.
Wellbeing Survey	The Stats NZ Wellbeing Survey is an annual national household survey that measures people's quality of life and wellbeing in New Zealand, covering areas such as health, income, housing, social connections, safety and life satisfaction.
World Health Organization (WHO)	The United Nations agency that leads multilateral efforts to promote and protect health, including via coordination of global preparation and response to pandemics.